This past weekend was one of the best that I’ve had in a long time. I had a friend date on Friday where we had dinner, drinks and saw a movie as is our tradition; then on Saturday, I had a lovely brunch with a friend I haven’t seen in a few weeks; all ending with Nick and I grilling out and got a lot of yard work done.

We ended up having an impromtu fiesta for two with grilled steak fajitas and a delicious black bean and corn salad. We ate outside on our deck, which we haven’t done in a long time. It was the perfect little fiesta!

We grilled the fajita veggies (red, yellow, and orange peppers along with a white onion) in the cast iron skillet on the grill and they tasted fantastic.

Our black bean and corn salad was thrown together using black beans, corn, a diced jalapeno, a small can of rotel tomatoes, and diced red onion. We also threw it in the cast iron skillet and it turned out really well with the perfect amount of spiciness.

On a separate note, I haven’t done much shopping these last few months, but I really wanted a new denim jacket that is much lighter than my current one. While I was out, I picked up a few extra tops and a pair of coral pants, because they’re all the rage right now. I’m sure you’ll be seeing both of these outfits show up on the blog in the near future.

Dressing room photos from Gap

On Sunday, we went for brunch at one of our favorite spots, Parker and Otis, a little restaurant and giftshop in the historic downtown area of Durham. We love that they use fresh, local ingredients. That’s very common in Durham, though; it’s very much a wonderful foodie town. Parker and Otis have so much wonderful stuff that it’s almost overwhelming. But you can go in and order a yummy breakfast or lunch (or in our case, brunch) and then browse through all of the candies, knick-knacks, cards, wine, and cooking paraphernalia while you wait.

They have lovely seating inside and out. Sunday was a bit gloomy as far as the clouds go, but it wasn’t too hot or humid so we were able to comfortably sit outside and enjoy our meal.

I got a grilled pimento cheese with bacon on sourdough bread. Their homemade cole slaw is the default side, and it’s delicious. If you’re not familiar with pimento cheese then you are missing out. It’s an indulgent spread made of various cheeses, mayonnaise, and pimentos. Everyone has their own recipe and most are very delicious. Parker and Otis’ pimento cheese is also very good!

Nick got a grilled banana, peanut butter, and bacon panini with a side of fresh fruit.

We had a visitor while we ate: this cute little guy!

Lots of scrumptious candies and food stuffs. And a coffee bar

I told Nick that I want to make a chandelier just like this. I mean, really, how amazing is this? I think it’s just beautiful!

Cook books galore! And plenty of pots and pans and other cooking utensils.

The area around Parker & Otis is very industrial because the majority of the buildings in the area were warehouses used for tobacco processing.

This is what I wore for our little outing. Can you think of anything more comfortable than these drapey pants? They looked great when I wore them out and were super comfortable when I got home and kicked off the wedges to sit at my computer and get some school work done.

That’s it for our little outing. I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the cool things Durham has to offer!

Shirt: Gap (old)
Cardigan: Old Navy
Pants:Old Navy
Wedges: American Eagle by Payless
Necklace: Hawthorne Collection (online)
Handbag: Franco Sarto via Ross

It seems that delivery services are all the rage these days. From CSAs (community supported agriculture) that deliver fresh produce to Bark Boxes that deliver doggie goodies, it seems that there is a delivery service for everything now, including clothes. Nick signed up for Trunk Club, a clothing service for men where a stylist picks out clothing and ships it to you to try on at home and then you send back what you don’t want and only pay for what you keep. He’s received about 4 boxes now and it’s been a lot of fun. The anticipation  of what your stylist has chosen for you is one of the best parts. I decided to give it a try with a similar women’s service called Stitch Fix. I’ve seen several fashion bloggers participate so I figured it would be worth a try.

My box arrived on Friday and contained 5 items: three tops, a cardigan, and a pair of jeans.

I tried on everything and pretty much loved it all! I was very skeptical about the fit of most of the clothes, but I noted in my style profile that I have a short torso and often times it’s difficult to find tops that fit well. Two of the tops fit great and two were only a smidge too big, which is about par for the course for me. It was also interesting that everything they sent was some shade of blue (and, of course, the one gray item). I decided to keep two of the tops and the pair of pants (reviewed below).

Under Skies Claremont Printed Stripe Short Sleeve Top – $58

Cute buttons on the back

I love the stripe and paisley patterns on this top, and the color is great. I’m not sure I would have picked it out if I had been shopping for myself because of the loose fit, but I’m looking forward to trying new things that would normally be out of my comfort zone. Like I said, the fit of this top is loose, which is new for me, but I’m excited to start wearing it.

Collective Concepts Valencia V-Neck 3/4 Sleeve Blouse – $68

This blouse is asymmetrical (shorter in the front, longer in the back) which I find is good for us gals with short torsos.

This blouse is very much my taste. I love the cut, the fit, and the color. I would definitely pick this out if I saw it hanging on the rack. It has a flowy fit, which I’ve been wanting to incorporate more of into my wardrobe.

 Kensie Jeans Mary-Kate High Rise Skinny Jean – $88

These jeans are super dark, rise high, and are super skinny. I wasn’t sure how I would feel when I pulled them out of the box but as soon as I tried them on, I loved them. I’ve tried the Rockstar skinny jeans from Old Navy and, even though I wear their other jeans, theRockstars looked terrible, which I think is because of their low rise. These high-right jeans are actually really slimming, as they seem to flatten my tummy and hide my love handles. And they’re really comfortable. This might be my favorite item from the whole box!

So, there you have it, my first experience with Stitch Fix. Overall, I was really pleased with the items and the prices aren’t terrible. It’s definitely more expensive than picking up a few tops at Target so I’ll have to limit myself on how many times I order a box, but it was fun and I’d recommend it.

Happy shopping!

I love dining out; it’s probably my biggest vice. But eating out on a regular basis, as you can probably imagine, gets pretty expensive, and is usually what gets me into trouble when we’re trying to save money. So, I’ve developed a process that helps ensure I cook at home more often and keeps more dollars in my wallet: I create a weekly menu and a shopping list based on it. I’m sure I’m not the first and only person to do it but it’s a good process and it works, for the most part. There are always challenges. I mean, this is life we’re talking about here.

The general process goes a little something like this: I find recipes I like, make a grocery list, go shopping (once a week) and then cook at home each night.